Massachusetts's first "Section 83E" procurement for energy storage is underway, with bids due Wednesday, September 10, 2025, at noon.
As we've previously discussed, Governor Maura Healy last year signed into law sweeping clean energy legislation that established a new procurement for energy storage, following the form of "Section 83" procurements for offshore wind and other clean energy resources conducted in recent years. Under the new Section 83E, Massachusetts utilities must enter into long-term contracts for approximately 5,000 MW of energy storage systems by July 31, 2030, to be identified through a competitive solicitation coordinated by the utilities and the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources ("DOER").
The first request for proposals ("RFP") under Section 83E issued on July 31, 2025. In accordance with the statute, this initial procurement is only for "Environmental Attributes" (including Clean Peak Energy Certificates, or CPECs) produced by approximately 1,500 MW of mid-duration storage (i.e., energy storage systems capable of dispatching energy at nameplate capacity for a period of 4–10 hours). Further, the procurement is limited to transmission-connected projects sized from 40 MW up to 1,000 MW.
The remainder of the procurement will follow the following timeline:
| Deadline to Submit Bids | 9/10/2025 at noon ET |
| Selection of Projects/Beginning of Negotiations | 12/9/2025 |
| Execution of Long-Term Contracts and Memorandum of Understanding with DOER | 3/27/2026 |
| Submission of Long-Term Contracts to Department of Public Utilities for Approval | 4/24/2026 |
It will be interesting to see how bidders respond to the RFP requirements and evaluation criteria, and which combinations of energy storage technologies and system locations ultimately advance. We'll be closely monitoring this solicitation, as well as the future procurement rounds the utilities and DOER must conduct to satisfy the full 5,000 MW mandate under Section 83E.
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